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The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared former President Goodluck Jonathan fit to contest the 2027 presidential election, dismissing a suit that sought to stop him from returning to the ballot.
Judge Peter Lifu, who handed down the ruling on Tuesday, described the case as an abuse of judicial process, pointing out that the question of Jonathan’s suitability had already been resolved by both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, Blueprint reports.
The court also awarded the plaintiff a cost of $20 million in favor of Jonathan and awarded an additional cost of $1 million in favor of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The appellant requested a lifetime ban
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, was filed by Abuja-based lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who asked the court to determine whether Jonathan could legitimately challenge again after taking the presidential oath twice.
The applicant relied on Articles 1 and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that Jonathan had already completed the term of office of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before obtaining a new mandate in 2011.
He consequently sought an order barring Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential aspirant and also asked the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting or publishing his name for the 2027 elections.
The Court says the issue is already resolved
In his ruling, Justice Lifu found that the matter had already been conclusively resolved by higher courts, insisting that the new case amounted to a waste of judicial time.
According to the judge, he was bound by previous appellate decisions affirming Jonathan’s eligibility.
“I am bound by the above decision of the Court of Appeal and this Court, I have nothing further to add,” the judge ruled.
The Court also found that the appellant did not have locus standi.
Jonathan, AGF opposition in case
During the proceedings, Jonathan’s lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the case at great cost, arguing that constitutional amendments relating to the presidential term could not be retroactively applied against the former president.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, aligned himself with Jonathan and equally asked the court to dismiss the case.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission was not represented during some proceedings.
Legal battle between several postponements
The case underwent numerous postponements before the sentence was finally delivered on May 26.
On May 8, Judge Lifu adjourned the matter after the plaintiff’s lawyer requested time to respond to preliminary objections submitted by the defense team.
The matter was postponed again on May 11 following the absence of the plaintiff and his lawyer in court, prompting the judge to warn that punitive costs could be imposed for further delays.
Subsequently, on May 18, the court set May 26 for the final judgment after the parties made their written submissions.
New political changes ahead of 2027
The ruling is expected to intensify political conversations ahead of the 2027 general election, amid growing speculation over Jonathan’s possible return to active partisan politics.
The ruling also comes days after reports emerged that a faction within the People’s Democratic Party had adopted Jonathan as its preferred presidential candidate for 2027.
Although Jonathan has yet to publicly declare his interest in running, the court verdict has now removed a major legal obstacle that could have prevented any future ambitions.
